Mamdani flexes political muscle; Trump’s Reflecting Pool headache grows

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasn’t on the ballot, but three candidates he backed won Tuesday night. The results suggest the mayor’s political influence is growing fast.

Plus, the Senate votes to rebuke Trump’s Iran policy. Even though the measure won’t change policy, it sends a message.

And the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool controversy continues to grow. New questions emerge about what’s causing the problems as crews prepare another round of repairs.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Mamdani allies score primary wins in New York, scoring political clout for the city’s mayor

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has shown that his political influence may extend well beyond City Hall.

Three Democratic candidates backed by Mamdani won key House primaries Tuesday, giving the mayor a series of high-profile victories as he seeks to expand his influence within the party.

In northern Manhattan and the Bronx, Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated veteran Rep. Adriano Espaillat in one of the night’s biggest upsets. Former New York City comptroller Brad Lander also won his primary. 

State Assembly member Claire Valdez prevailed in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez. The results mark another showing of strength for Mamdani’s progressive coalition and could give him a growing network of allies in Washington if the candidates hold on in November.

Also in New York, state assembly member Micah Lasher defeated his former boss, Rep. Jerry Nadler, in the primary for Nadler’s Manhattan-based seat.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, Attorney General Alan Wilson won the Republican primary runoff for governor after President Donald Trump took the unusual step of endorsing both remaining candidates.

In a key House race, former three-star rear admiral Nancy Lacore, who was fired earlier this year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, won the Democratic primary and will now compete for a Republican-held seat in November.

Four Republicans join Democrats on war powers vote, rebuking Trump on Iran

For the first time since the war began, the Senate has approved a resolution rebuking Trump’s handling of Iran. Four Republicans joined Democrats Tuesday to pass a war powers resolution aimed at limiting future U.S. military action against Iran.

The 50-48 vote marks the Senate’s first approval of such a measure this year, though the resolution does not carry the force of law and is unlikely to change U.S. policy.

On Truth Social, Trump dismissed the vote as “poorly timed and meaningless,” accusing lawmakers of making his job more difficult.

Meanwhile, there are signs that diplomacy is moving forward.

Pakistan, which has been helping mediate between Washington and Tehran, said technical talks will resume next week after what it described as a temporary break in negotiations.

At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has traveled across the Gulf region, meeting with leaders and stating that he wants to ensure their concerns are reflected in ongoing talks.

“Now, there’s an Iranian issue with regards to Lebanon, and that is their support and sponsorship of Hezbollah,” Rubio said. “And so that factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians.”

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog also said its inspectors will visit Iranian nuclear facilities under the terms of the recent agreement, even as U.S. and Iranian officials have offered different accounts of what inspections will look like going forward.

Gates’ testimony says Epstein may have considered blackmailing him

Newly released testimony has shed more light on Bill Gates’ relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

A House Oversight Committee transcript shows Bill Gates believed there was a “serious probability” Epstein had considered blackmailing him over extramarital affairs.

Gates testified earlier this month as part of the committee’s investigation into Epstein. He told lawmakers Epstein never actually attempted to blackmail him, but said the possibility crossed his mind.

He testified that he began meeting with Epstein in 2011 because he believed the financier’s connections could help advance global health projects through the Gates Foundation.

Gates, who has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein, also said he never visited Epstein’s private island.

The committee also released testimony from Epstein’s longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, who said she never witnessed any illegal activity during her time working for him.

Court approves rapid deportations, allowing removals deep inside US

Trump has scored a major legal win in his push to speed up deportations. A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to expand expedited removal nationwide.

The policy allows immigration officials to deport certain migrants without a hearing before an immigration judge.

For years, the process was mostly limited to people caught near the border who had recently entered the country. But under the Trump administration’s expansion, it can now be used anywhere in the United States against undocumented immigrants who cannot show they’ve been in the country for more than two years.

The appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that had blocked the policy last year over due process concerns. Writing for the majority, Trump-appointed Judge Justin Walker said Congress gave the executive branch broad authority to determine who can be subject to expedited removal.

Immigration advocates argue the policy could lead to wrongful deportations of people who cannot immediately prove how long they’ve lived in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security called the decision a victory for enforcing immigration law as written.

Trump’s Reflecting Pool vandalism claims questioned

The saga surrounding Trump’s troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has taken another turn.

Trump has continued to blame vandals for the problems at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including what he describes as knife slashes to the liner and damage to the site. But new reporting from The New York Times says government documents tell a more complicated story.

Those documents show park service workers found cuts in the foam between expansion joints inside the pool, but The Times reported those cuts were not directly connected to the “American flag blue” coating that’s now peeling off the bottom of the pool. The documents also show workers were already dealing with equipment problems and growing algae blooms before large pieces of the blue coating started floating to the surface.

Trump said police have now arrested six people and cited seven others for damaging the site.

“Somebody went in with the knife and cut it and cut it up good. And then they cut at 200-350-foot slits in the form of lots of little slits. Real horrible stuff,” Trump said. “And they destroyed the grass. We put a brand new big load of grass out there. They destroyed it. So it’s all being fixed, but it’s a shame. So I understand five or six people were arrested.”

The president also said photos and videos of the alleged vandalism will be released soon, though no images have been made public so far.

Meanwhile, National Guard troops and park police continue to patrol the area as crews prepare to drain part of the pool again for what the president calls a permanent repair.

Adding another layer to the controversy, environmental groups are now calling for an investigation after a dead duckling was seen floating in the algae-filled water and two other dead ducks were found nearby.

Trump said repairs will take place around the Fourth of July.

Ronaldo scores in sixth World Cup, adding to historic career

One day after Lionel Messi made World Cup history, Cristiano Ronaldo reminded the world he’s still writing his own record book.

Ronaldo, 41, turned back the clock Monday night, scoring a hat trick as Portugal rolled past Uzbekistan 5-0. The Houston crowd loved it as teammates swarmed the Portuguese star after his third goal.

With the performance, Ronaldo became the first men’s player to score in six different World Cups — a stretch that began in 2006. He also extended his record for most international appearances, with more than 230 matches for Portugal.

Ronaldo has said this will likely be his final World Cup, but he’s showing few signs of slowing down as Portugal advances to the knockout round.

Next up: Ghana.

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Homeowners feel cornered by persistently high interest rates, Dave King, executive director of the nonprofit Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI), told Straight Arrow. Up to 75% of homeowners are planning their next projects, but fewer are willing to pay for improvements with credit cards or home improvement lines of credit, according to HIRI and credit rating agencies.  

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief